My husband and I recently enlisted in the services of Birth Made Beautiful for the birth of our second child. We worked with Cassanda and Kara Jo and both women made us feel safe, valued, respected, and cared for. Despite having a wonderful, uncomplicated and unmedicated birth with my first child, during my pregnancy with our second, fear and doubt began to set in. I really began to believe that all of the positives associated with my first delivery and birth were a fluke and that I either would not be able to get through a second unmedicated birth or some sort of medical emergency would arise. Kara Jo met me initially and spent a long time with me unpacking what was leading to these fears. Based on our conversation, she suggested that Hypnobirthing might be a good fit for me. Had Kara Jo not suggested Hypnobirthing, I never would have sought it out. Our initial meeting with Kara Jo's careful listening, experience, and intuitive sense for what needs to be done set the stage for the rest of our time with Birth Made Beautiful. She brought all of those same qualities to my birth. We primarily worked with Kara Jo but did do a prenatal visit with Cassandra. She felt like hanging out with an old friend who has a lot of knowledge surrounding birth. She was quite helpful in refreshing us in the Three Sisters of Balance positioning and showed my husband how to do certain types of support touches to be used during labor. (We did end up using everything she showed us so thank you very much Cassandra!) It was somewhat amusing actually as the Hypnobirthing techniques were working so well, I didn't recognize that I was as far along into labor as I was. When I thought I might need to contact the doulas for a heads up via text, Cassandra called us within minutes at about 3:00 AM. It had been decided between the two of them that Kara Jo would attend my delivery so I think Cassandra also reached out to Kara Jo. We spoke on the phone and despite my insistence that I didn't think I was in anything past early labor, Kara Jo could tell this wasn't the case. We credit her to me not having our baby on the road or in the parking lot. Thank you Kara Jo! Once at the hospital, Kara Jo took charge in terms of making sure my birth plan was executed. It was so nice to not have to bring up my preferences to the nurses or ask if certain things could be done. She was just on top of it. She was so calming, uplifting and caring. Both my husband and myself were impressed and appreciative of Birth Made Beautiful's services. Additionally, Kara Jo took a series of high-quality birth photos. She'd asked us if this was something we wanted prior to the birth. I was excited about the prospect and said "yes please" but gave some preferences in terms of what would/wouldn't be shown. While photography obviously isn't the doulas main role, I absolutely cherish these pictures showing the first moments our child entered the world. They are so sweet. Also, we were provided with a detailed timeline after the birth which we appreciate. Things are such a blur in the moment, it is really special to be able to look back at what happened and when. We would hire both doulas back in a heartbeat. They were an important part of why our second child's birth was as positive, empowering and lovely as it was. From our entire family, thank you. read more

Kara Jo was our Doula for our 3rd baby (a successful VBAC at 41w 6d, 10lbs 11 oz) - we had doulas for our first two as well. If we have a 4th we will definitely be asking Kara Jo to be our Doula again! What made her so different was the amazing support she provided before (processing my second birth which didn't go well, spinning babies, natural labor induction tools and pros/cons, etc) and after the birth (breastfeeding support, pt and postpartum recommendations)- although she was amazing during labor and delivery as well (hip squeezes through every contraction, coaching through different positions to progress labor, helping my care team follow our birth plan, etc)! After birth she provided us the beautiful photos she took and a write up of the birth and timeline. I am so thankful that our doctor recommended Kara Jo!! read more

Having Kara Jo be a part of my birthing experience was one of the best decisions of my life! She was the one constant, the bright spot, the soothing, calming voice I could cling to throughout my journey. I literally could not have made it through my natural birth without her. She was my strength when mine failed, my encouragement and faith when I wanted to give up, and my steadfast guide, holding my hand - or my head or my back or my hips - through the many hours of frustration and pain. Intuiting the baby was slightly crooked and having trouble fitting into the birth canal, she used her knowledge of Spinning Babies and helped me through a few exercises. She also knew when it was time for me to rest in the bath and let the baby finish the job. My most vivid memory was as I laid in the tub, Kara Jo gently poured water over my belly and her reassuring, peaceful presence comforted me and helped me to relax enough for the baby to complete her transition. Kara Jo is exceedingly professional and incredibly knowledgeable. She has one of the most kind, caring, and peaceful presences I've ever known. She graciously worked alongside my nurse to ensure I was provided the best care and that my birth plan wishes were followed. She interacted just as well with me and my husband as she did all our care providers. She also provided us with great pictures of the birth and progression documentation to look back on to help us remember this incredibly special day! She is the complete package and I Cannot recommend her enough! Side/personality note: I met with a few doulas before discovering Kara Jo and my husband and I were never quite comfortable with the "hippy vibe" (as he described it) that we felt with the others. Kara Jo exudes a more maternal, personally experienced, therapeutic "vibe". We don't know what we would have done without her! read more

Where do I even begin! Kara Jo was critical to my home birth VBAC, I could not have gotten through it without her. I am a doula myself, plus had a traumatic first birth involving a disappointing experience with my doula at the time. So to say I was picky about finding the right person for my second birth is an understatement. I needed someone who was good with anxiety and trauma, experienced with VBAC and home birth, and skilled with optimal fetal positioning since my first birth was complicated by malpresentation. A tall order, but Kara Jo met all my criteria and then some. When I was a basketcase of doubts and fears prenatally, she helped keep me grounded. When I reached out she always responded promptly. She listened intently to prior birth story, and my concerns and needs for this birth. She even joined me at an appointment with my pelvic PT to learn a specific pelvic floor release technique that might be useful in my labor! I did have another challenging labor not dissimilar to my first, but this time, with Kara Jo by my side, I was able to get through it. She propelled me through the exact same problem that led to my cesarean the first time, by keeping me moving with lots of targeted exercises and keeping me grounded emotionally. Not to mention constantly fed me food and drink to keep me energized during the hardest work of my life! And she worked seamlessly with my midwife team. In addition to all the physical and emotional support during a challenging labor, she somehow also managed to take the most beautiful photos during the birth, including precious images of my older son meeting his new sibling and comforting me through contractions, which I will cherish forever. Then aftwrward she took the most gentle loving care of me when I was exhausted and needed help to get settled in bed with my baby and initiate nursing. I only wish I had had her for my first birth, what a difference it would have made. This time, instead of recovering from surgery and struggling with PPD/PPA, I feel amazing physically and am experiencing a joy filled postpartum. Anyone would be lucky to have Kara Jo by their side. I am so fortunate to have found her! read more

Birth Made Beautiful is an excellent business with the most knowledgeable, kind, and caring doulas you could ever ask for! I can't recommend them enough! read more

I want to start out by saying Kara Jo was extremely responsive and wonderful to work with, at least as far as we got. Cassandra, on the other hand, was almost always extremely slow to respond. Unfortunately, my husband and I had a bad experience overall. This was my first baby and I went into labor at 35 weeks (water broke around 8 pm July 2021). Neither doula was in town. They told me to contact their backup and we tried contacting her multiple times (texting and calling) but as we found out later, she had turned her phone off for the night. Well, things got crazy because my Dr said we had to go to a different hospital than planned and then found out baby was breech so I ended up with a c-section and a baby in NICU for 17 days. My husband said the back up doula called in the morning and was extremely apologetic (I never spoke to her). The main doulas were apologetic and gave us $900 back of the $1000 we paid them (they asked to keep $100 for one prenatal meeting Kara Jo did with us, and I will say, she met us more than half way to meet up which was really nice). They said we should have let them know their backup didn't respond (well, my question is how long do you wait to know if they are going to respond, and we had a few things going on, papers to sign, being explained medical procedures that were not in our original plan, and I was in pain!) After we got home from NICU, we asked if we could have a call (not visit, just a call) for some lactation help, (nothing was easy with this baby), they were extremely hesitant but said yes. They never followed up and never scheduled it, and I let it go because recovering from a csection isn't fun and caring for a newborn is tiring. To me it shows that they had moved on and didn't want to put anymore effort in, which is sad in my book, considering the circumstances. Overall, I didn't have a good experience - I really wish I could say I did, because Kara Jo was so nice and I'm sure she's fabulous during birth, but it's an unpleasant (and frankly, scary) experience that I will always remember about my first baby's birth. And I say to Clayton A... I really hope you don't keep getting harassing emails, because I can imagine based on my experience that yours was similar. read more

There is far too much to tell, and there might be a character limit. Unfortunately, you'll have to settle for a brief summary: Between two doulas, neither one showed up to the hospital when requested. They were requested 7 hours prior to the delivery, but showed up 2 hours after. Of the 18 hours of guaranteed in-person support, we received zero. We didn't receive our scheduled virtual support either, because one or both doulas neglected to Zoom call us at the agreed upon time. After a clear breach of contract, we still received an invoice for the remainder of the balance. My wife's pregnancy became complicated by HELLP syndrome. The doula's mismanaged our case. They desperately tried to stay relevant during an obvious medical emergency, but somehow failed to do the one thing that was in their power, which was just to be there for us during the crisis. The delivery occurred 03/15/2022. At the time of writing this review, the doula's still feel they are entitled to payment and continue to send harassing emails to me and my spouse.*** I will gladly elaborate and provide the whole story to anyone who is interested. read more

I can't recommend Kara Jo highly enough! She has a vast depth of knowledge, resources and experiences, and offered invaluable physical and emotional support to me before, during and after delivery. In all, she supported us through three VBAC births, two of which were full-term and unmedicated. She is calming, empowering, easy and fun to be around and gave my husband and I the tools and confidence to self-advocate, trust ourselves and have the birth experiences we were hoping for. I found Kara Jo when I was pregnant with my second baby, who unfortunately we lost at 20 weeks. Kara Jo's support and guidance allowed my husband and I to navigate our loss with thought, meaning and on our terms. After having her walk that road with us, we knew we wanted her to attend our subsequent births. I only wish we had found her sooner! read more

We used Kara Jo for the birth of our second daughter and she was AMAZING! Helping guide us threw our entire birthing journey from prenatal to postnatal. Having her there to help support us during labor was so wonderful, made it everything I had hoped for the second time around! I definitely recommend her to all expecting parents! read more

Kara Jo is a phenomenal doula who is supportive, intelligent, kind, and warm. She is extremely knowledgeable in evidence-based birthing practices, which was invaluable in formulating and executing my birth plan. She assisted me in finding a doctor at 37 weeks pregnant who was more aligned with my laboring goals after several negative interactions with my previous OB practice. Switching providers so close to my due date was scary, but ultimately I couldn't have been happier in my choice of doing so and it wouldn't have been possible without Kara Jo's assistance. My birthing experience was long and arduous, as many inductions are. There were times I didn't think I could endure, but Kara Jo was right by my side gently cheering me along. She knew when to push me and when to allow me time. She stayed awake and at my bedside for over 24 hours, only taking short breaks to meet her own basic needs. She not only supported me, but my husband as well by reminding him to take rest periods or eat and offering him suggestions in helping me labor. Kara Jo is also a phenomenal photographer, capturing beautiful pictures of my labor and delivery that I will cherish forever. If you are on the fence about hiring a doula or who to chose, you shouldn't be. Trust me you want a doula and you want Kara Jo. It's worth every penny. Hiring her was the best care decision I made during my whole pregnancy! read more

Kara Jo being part of our birth was wonderful, I would recommend her to anyone. We know many other parents that have used her and have nothing but great things say about her and their experiences. She truly love her job and it shows!She is the Best Doula in the Twin Cities! read more

Choosing Kara Jo to attend the birth of our daughter was the best decision we could have made. After a difficult labor/delivery and recovery with our first child, my husband and I knew that we wanted to do things differently with our second child. We had already made the decision to give birth at a birth center with a midwife, and I wasn't sure if I would "need" a doula there or not, since it wouldn't be the typical hospital setting. After meeting Kara Jo, we both fell in love with her calm, supportive spirit and decided to hire her for our birth. The birth did not end up going as we had planned, and Kara Jo helped us every step of the way to slow down, talk through our options, and make decisions we felt good about. Though I ended up needing an induction due to preeclampsia, I didn't need any pitocin or pain medication, thanks in large part to Kara Jo's knowledge of natural induction methods and her unwavering support and confidence in me. The birth was an amazing, powerful experience that my husband and I were able to share together, and we will forever be grateful to Kara Jo for helping make that happen! read more